Luke 16
1 And he said also unto his disciples, 'A certain man was rich, who had a steward, and he was accused to him as scattering his goods;
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘There was a rich man who had a steward; and this steward was maliciously accused to him of wasting his estate.
2 and having called him, he said to him, What [is] this I hear about thee? render the account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest not any longer be steward.
So the master called him and said “What is this that I hear about you? Give in your accounts, for you cannot act as steward any longer.”
3 'And the steward said in himself, What shall I do, because my lord doth take away the stewardship from me? to dig I am not able, to beg I am ashamed: —
“What am I to do,” the steward asked himself, “now that my master is taking the steward’s place away from me? I have not strength to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.
4 I have known what I shall do, that, when I may be removed from the stewardship, they may receive me to their houses.
I know what I will do, so that, as soon as I am turned out of my stewardship, people may welcome me into their homes.”
5 'And having called near each one of his lord's debtors, he said to the first, How much dost thou owe to my lord?
One by one he called up his master’s debtors. “How much do you owe my master?” he asked of the first.
6 and he said, A hundred baths of oil; and he said to him, Take thy bill, and having sat down write fifty.
“Four hundred and forty gallons of oil,” answered the man. “Here is your agreement,” he said; “sit down at once and make it two hundred and twenty.”
7 'Afterward to another he said, And thou, how much dost thou owe? and he said, A hundred cors of wheat; and he saith to him, Take thy bill, and write eighty.
And you, the steward said to the next, “how much do you owe?” “Seventy quarters of wheat,” he replied. “Here is your agreement,” the steward said; “make it fifty-six.”
8 'And the lord commended the unrighteous steward that he did prudently, because the sons of this age are more prudent than the sons of the light, in respect to their generation. (aiōn g165)
His master complimented this dishonest steward on the shrewdness of his action. And indeed men of the world are shrewder in dealing with their fellow men than those who have the light. (aiōn g165)
9 and I say to you, Make to yourselves friends out of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye may fail, they may receive you to the age-during tabernacles. (aiōnios g166)
And I say to you “Win friends for yourselves with your dishonest money,” so that, when it comes to an end, there may be a welcome for you into the Eternal Home. (aiōnios g166)
10 'He who is faithful in the least, [is] also faithful in much; and he who in the least [is] unrighteous, is also unrighteous in much;
The person who is trustworthy in the smallest matter is trustworthy in a great one also; and the person who is dishonest in the smallest matter is dishonest in a great one also.
11 if, then, in the unrighteous mammon ye became not faithful — the true who will entrust to you?
So, if you have proved untrustworthy with the dishonest money, who will trust you with the true?
12 and if in the other's ye became not faithful — your own, who shall give to you?
And, if you have proved untrustworthy with what does not belong to us, who will give you what is really our own?
13 'No domestic is able to serve two lords, for either the one he will hate, and the other he will love; or one he will hold to, and of the other he will be heedless; ye are not able to serve God and mammon.'
No servant can serve two masters, for, either they will hate one and love the other, or else they will attach themselves to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.’
14 And also the Pharisees, being lovers of money, were hearing all these things, and were deriding him,
All this was said within hearing of the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, and they began to sneer at Jesus.
15 and he said to them, 'Ye are those declaring yourselves righteous before men, but God doth know your hearts; because that which among men is high, [is] abomination before God;
‘You,’ said Jesus, ‘are the ones who justify themselves before the world, but God can read your hearts; and what is highly esteemed among people may be an abomination in the sight of God.
16 the law and the prophets [are] till John; since then the reign of God is proclaimed good news, and every one doth press into it;
The Law and the prophets sufficed until the time of John. Since then the good news of the kingdom of God has been told, and everybody has been forcing their way into it.
17 and it is easier to the heaven and the earth to pass away, than of the law one tittle to fall.
It would be easier for the heavens and the earth to disappear than for one stroke of a letter in the Law to be lost.
18 'Every one who is sending away his wife, and marrying another, doth commit adultery; and every one who is marrying her sent away from a husband doth commit adultery.
Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman is an adulterer, and the man who marries a divorced woman is an adulterer.
19 'And — a certain man was rich, and was clothed in purple and fine linen, making merry sumptuously every day,
There was once a rich man, who dressed in purple robes and fine linen, and feasted every day in great splendour.
20 and there was a certain poor man, by name Lazarus, who was laid at his porch, full of sores,
Near his gateway there had been laid a beggar named Lazarus, who was covered with sores,
21 and desiring to be filled from the crumbs that are falling from the table of the rich man; yea, also the dogs, coming, were licking his sores.
and who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 'And it came to pass, that the poor man died, and that he was carried away by the messengers to the bosom of Abraham — and the rich man also died, and was buried;
After a time the beggar died, and was taken by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.
23 and in the hades having lifted up his eyes, being in torments, he doth see Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom, (Hadēs g86)
In Hades he looked up in his torment, and saw Abraham at a distance and Lazarus at his side. (Hadēs g86)
24 and having cried, he said, Father Abraham, deal kindly with me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and may cool my tongue, because I am distressed in this flame.
So he called out “Pity me, Father Abraham, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering agony in this flame.”
25 'And Abraham said, Child, remember that thou did receive — thou — thy good things in thy life, and Lazarus in like manner the evil things, and now he is comforted, and thou art distressed;
“Child,” answered Abraham, “remember that you in your lifetime received what you thought desirable, just as Lazarus received what was not desirable; but now he has his consolation here, while you are suffering agony.
26 and besides all these things, between us and you a great chasm is fixed, so that they who are willing to go over from hence unto you are not able, nor do they from thence to us pass through.
And not only that, but between you and us there lies a great chasm, so that those who wish to pass from here to you cannot, nor can they cross from there to us.”
27 'And he said, I pray thee, then, father, that thou mayest send him to the house of my father,
“Then, Father,” he said, “I beg you to send Lazarus to my father’s house –
28 for I have five brothers, so that he may thoroughly testify to them, that they also may not come to this place of torment.
For I have five brothers to warn them, so that they may not come to this place of torture also.”
29 'Abraham saith to him, They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them;
“They have the writings of Moses and the prophets,” replied Abraham; “let them listen to them.”
30 and he said, No, father Abraham, but if any one from the dead may go unto them, they will reform.
“But, Father Abraham,” he urged, “if someone from the dead were to go to them, they would repent.”
31 And he said to him, If Moses and the prophets they do not hear, neither if one may rise out of the dead will they be persuaded.'
“If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets,” answered Abraham, “they will not be persuaded, even if someone were to rise from the dead.”’
